Working as a journalist in Washington for parts of the past two decades Garrett Grayson Jerseyalways created an internal dilemma: Was I really just chronicling a football team, or was I peripherally participating in the continued disparagement of America's indigenous people? Even when I hid behind "professional duty," I always knew the answer.

When former referee Mike Carey revealed a year ago that the NFL honored his request not to work Washington's games the final eight years of his career, explaining, "It just became clear to me that to be in the middle of the field, where something disrespectful is happening, was probably not the best thing for me," I felt a strong kinship.

So, with no pressing work obligation at FedEx Field this year, I didn't go to the opener. I didn't go Sunday, either.

Oh, Washington finally earned something other than an insult from another analyst on a pregame show,http://w... physically emasculating the St. Louis Rams. And all across the overcast and drizzly region of the District, Maryland and Virginia on Monday, light figuratively cascaded down from the heavens, glistening off the burgundy-and-gold legions. With Tony Romo out for two months and the Eagles and Giants reeling at 0-2, delusions of an NFC East title danced in their hope-deprived skulls.

By and large, they're good fans; they deserve a reprieve from the clown show. Poor saps. They've yet to realize: shocking run to the postseason or 3-13 again, they cannot win.

Because after all the RGIII clickbait, the drama-a-day commode fires, after all the zaniness of the organization refusing to get out of its own way, the brand has been irrevocably tarnished.

It actually took professionally stepping outside the Washington bubble for the [url=http://www.saintsshopnfl.com/Authentic-Hauoli-Kikaha-Jersey]http://www.sain... time in a decade to fully grasp we've now come to a place we haven't been before.

In late June, the Washington Post ran a 16-question quiz, asking readers whether they could differentiate between statements made defending the Confederate flag and the name of Washington's NFL team. The exercise showed how the two were essentially interchangeable.

In early July, a federal judge upheld the stripping of the team's federal trademark protection on the basis of the moniker being offensive to Native Americans.

California, the most populous [url=http://www.shopjaguarsnfljersey.com/Clay-Harbor-Jersey]Clay Harbor Jerseystate in the nation and home to three NFL franchises, passed legislation this month ensuring no public school will ever call itself what Washington's NFL team calls itself.

In Madison, Wisconsin, historically a liberal town but practically middle America, kids can't even wear clothing to school with Native-themed teams on it. Imagine being the parent of an Indians or Braves fan and your child comes home to give you the lecture about a living people not being mascots.

Several dead-broke Native American tribes and organizations now won't even take Dan Snyder's money because [url=http://www.shopjaguarsnfljersey.com/Dekoda-Watson-Jersey]http://www.shopjag... don't believe the owner's Original Americans Foundation is charitable; they know it's a sham geared toward actually promoting the team's name in Indian country and beyond.

The latest was the Indian National Rodeo Finals, which like many poor tribal organizations struggled mightily with what Snyder essentially asked them to choose between: cultural identity or financial need.